Headfirst for Halos
by bloodizmyheroin
Summary: Bella has a secret. And with the arrival of a certain pair of hunters, she soon realises she's running out of time faster than she thought. Hell is freezing over. The Age of Snow approaches. Can Edward save Bella from herself, or is it already too late?
1. Enter Disaster

**I've been recently inspired by a volly of different subjects, and have decided to give you, my loyal lovelies, my first Supernatural/Twilight cross over! Hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

**Disclaimer: Supernatural belongs to Eric Kripke and Twilight to Stephanie Meyer**

It began as a normal afternoon in Forks when Edward and his family decided to go hunting. We had been inseparable for the last few months, ever since the return from Italy and I hated being away from him for even a second. We were planning to get married in little under a month, which meant I was well on my way to becoming what I had craved since the moment I realized I loved him.

A vampire, although more to the point, Edward's physical and mental equal. I knew it was what we both wanted, but the debate about his soul, and eventually mine, was verging on ridiculous.

"Do you really have to go?" I asked, standing by my open window, my hands clasped in his. It was late afternoon on a Saturday and we had spent the whole day in my room together, cuddling on my bed and either talking or making out like the teenagers we were.

It had become a habit of mine to ask this question whenever Edward went hunting. Ever since we had gotten back together, I had become a little...insecure. I still woke up from frequent nightmares of him leaving me, of waking up to an empty bed all over again. Sometimes it took nearly an hour or more for me to calm down.

"I'm sorry Bella, but if I don't hunt now I won't have another opportunity before the wedding," Edward touched his palm to my cheek gently. I leant into his hand, comforted by the coolness of his skin and contemplating sleeping with an icepack.

"I'll be back tomorrow, I promise," he said, his deep, black-brown eyes shining with sincerity. It had been nearly three weeks since he'd last hunted wild game and I knew he'd enjoy the bonding time with his family, as much as he denied it.

Nodding, I wrapped my arms around Edward's neck as he leaned down to kiss me. It was a soft, gentle kiss. It was the kind of kiss that was filled with sweetness, reminding me that he did in fact, for some unfathomable reason, love me.

"I love you, Bella," he said, kissing me once more on my forehead before disappearing out the window, leaving me standing by the window alone. I pushed away the rippling pain of the fault in my chest.

As I walked from my room and down the stairs, a family picture on the wall caught my eye. I hadn't seen that one before, and I assumed Charlie must have recently put it up. The longing in my heart suddenly turned to guilt at the picture of Charlie and his sister at her wedding.

My aunt died before I was born, but my uncle made sure I didn't lose contact with that side of the family, sending his two sons, my cousins to stay with Renee and I every summer. I hadn't seen anyone from Charlie's side of the family in over two years.

Shaking it off, I trundled down the remaining steps and into the kitchen for a snack before I settled down to a night of ice cream and movies on the flat screen Charlie had installed last year in the upstairs spare room. He was away on a long weekend fishing trip with some of the other guys from the police station, and wouldn't be home until Monday.

I found a stash of pudding cups hidden in the back of the cupboard, which I promptly began slurping through as a cleaned the kitchen. Vanilla was my favourite, mostly because it was what Edward smelt like to me.

Polishing off two pudding cups, I stuffed the rest back in the cupboard and climbed the stairs to pick out the movies I wanted to watch from my private collection. Settling on a handful that included _Across the Universe_,_ The Spongebob Squarepants Movie,_ and _The Goonies_, I flicked off all the lights in the house and plopped myself down on the couch with a tub of Ben and Jerry's and tuned into the mind numbing nothingness that was Spongebob Squarepants.

Half way through my tub of ice cream and one movie later, I heard the sound of something thumping downstairs. Putting my movie on pause and putting the ice cream in the little mini fridge at the back of the room, I listened intently, my senses on high alert.

My skin crawled as I heard the thump again, followed by the familiar sound of the front door creaking open. I knew it wasn't Edward because he never made that much noise, in fact no vampire did. Was I being robbed?

I looked at the clock on the DVD player. It was only 8pm. Who robbed someone at eight o'clock at night?

I picked up the old baseball bat from beside the door, swinging it around in my hand and firmly gripping it as I crept out of the room. The whole house was dark, save for the occasional sliver of moonlight jumping around the floor and walls.

Slowly I edged my way back down the stairs, my heart pounding in my chest I spotted the shadow of a person moving below me. Swinging up onto the banister I waited until the figure was directly below me before pushing off the rail and landing hard into their back, sending us both to the floor.

The man and I rolled several times on the floor, the bat still clutched in my hand. He pinned me for about two seconds, not enough time to see his face even if it was light, before I raised my legs and pushed, sending him tumbling over me and onto his back.

Raising myself up on my legs, I held the bat in my hands, preparing to swing as two arms wrapped themselves around my shoulders. I writhed and struggled but the second man just wouldn't let go, only gripping me harder as the first one of them jumped back to his feet.

Without thinking, I threw my head back and smashed the back of my skull into the shorter man's nose, the satisfying crunch followed by a searing pain in the back of my head.

Not the best idea in the world.

The short man stumbled backwards, releasing my shoulders. The tall person tried to take a swing at me, but I ducked just in time for him to punch his friend in the side of the face. I roundhouse kicked him, collapsing his ankles and sending him back down to the ground.

The shorter man sat slumped against the side of the stairs while I pinned as his taller companion to the ground. A moonbeam struck the floor and illuminated his face. I gasped, not believing what I was seeing. It couldn't be...

"What the...Sam?" A confused expression came to his face as the recognition dawned.

"Bella?" He asked, incredulous. And so he should have been, I had never been able to pin him for more than ten seconds before.

"The very same, cous," I smiled, "And might I just say you still fight worse than a girl," I stood and offered Sam my hand, hoisting him back to his feet, "Nice to see you again, Sammy."

"Nice to see me? You jumped on me from the top of the stairs!" He accused, running a hand through his shaggy brown hair. Reaching over to the nearby wall, I switched the light on, both of us wincing at the sudden brightness as I lent the bat against the wall.

"Can someone gimme a hand down here?" I recognised the voice behind me as I turned to see the figure of my eldest cousin Dean, clutching his bleeding nose, an ugly black bruise forming on his left cheek.

"Hey Deany," I chuckled, pulling him to his feet, "Sorry about the nose, man." Dean glowered at me as I led him and Sam to the kitchen. The two of them sat down on Charlie's mismatched chairs while I tried to find the first aid kit.

"Don't call me Deany, BellBell," Dean retorted, gingerly shrugging off his beloved leather jacket. I chuckled, pulling the red bag from below the sink. It had been years since I'd been called that.

"Sure sure, Deany," Sam chortled, cut short by a punch to the arm thanks to Dean. Placing the first aid kit on the table, I took a wet cloth and wiped the blood that was drying on my cousin's face before tapping it up with medical tape.

"It isn't broken, just bruised, and a little fractured," I explained, patting him on the head like a small child, "You'll live."

I walked over to the fridge and grabbed two of Charlie's beers, a can of soda, and an icepack wrapped in a dishtowel. I gave the beers to the boys and thrust the ice at Dean for his face.

"So what brings you guys to breaking into my house at," I looked at the kitchen clock, taking a sip of my drink, "A quarter to ten on a Saturday night?"

I began to get a little apprehensive when the boys exchanged a wary glance. Sam took a swig of his beer before setting the bottle gently back on the table while Dean held the ice to his face.

"Guys? What's wrong?" Both of them were avoiding my gaze. They never acted like this unless they had bad news, and I mean _bad_ news, the kind no one ever wants to hear unless it's on the news about someone else.

"Bella..." Sam looked as if he were trying to communicate something vital to me. There was a niggling at the back of my brain, when suddenly it clicked. My eyes widened and I gasped.

"You mean...but it's so soon! I thought I had at least a few months left!" Tears of anger and hurt stung my eyes. I knew that Sam and Dean were aware of my...shortcomings, but I had sworn years ago that I would never ever make myself resort to them again. In four weeks, I would be immortal, and then...

"Bells, you know we would do anything to help if we could. This is how it's been since you were born," Dean replied, the ice still pressed to his face, "you can't change who you are."

"I don't care! Uncle John promised! You all promised!" I was almost screaming at them. I knew deep down I was being irrational, but the fact that my own cousins had shown up, broken into my house and were now confirming my worst fears was just too much to handle.

I walked over to the sink and gazed out the window. The moon was almost full and I could feel the ebb and flow of its power moving inside me. I had contemplated my destiny millions of times over, but for it to be so close was indescribable.

"I can't believe I let this happen..." I murmured, tears stinging my eyes. I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned my head, expecting to see Sam the Empath standing beside me. Instead, to my surprise, I saw Dean, his eyes filled with regret and understanding. I buried my face into his chest, glad to have someone when Edward was gone.

Oh god, _Edward_.

I hadn't told Edward.

I hadn't told anyone, not even Charlie, but the thought of keeping something like this from the man I loved was excruciating. Feeling a sudden wave of tiredness, I pulled away from my cousin, deciding to deal with all these emotions in the morning.

"Come on, it's late. You guys can stay here for the night. One of you can have the pullout in the flat screen room and the other can have Charlie's bed," I explained. The boys looked at each other, and I suddenly regretted mentioning the flat screen.

Fast as lightning, Sam and Dean were bolting for the stairs, pushing and shoving in an attempt to be the first to the pullout couch. I couldn't help but laugh; in all the excitement of the last couple of years, I had almost forgotten how nice it was to have my family around me.

Climbing the stairs, I heard the familiar groaning, cussing sound of defeat that could only come from Dean. I was glad Sam had the room; he was less likely to break the television than Dean was.

It was around ten-thirty by the time I was finished getting ready for bed. I could hear Dean snoring from Charlie's room. With that nose, he was going to be snoring for a while.

The curtains were open, the moonlight spilling into the room. I walked over to the window, gazing out onto the street. The Metallicar, Dean's beloved Impala, was parked on the curb out the front of the house, the black body glimmering like water.

I sighed, resigned. I had tried to avoid my fate, run away from everything just so I could be a normal girl, only to have it be right in front of me; in the vey place I had come to escape it.

The arrival of Sam and Dean had some as a reminder of the little amount of time I had left. Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I felt the familiar zing of power running across my skin. In my reflection, I could see the change that had taken place.

Bella Swan as everyone knew her did not look back. Instead, I saw the very image I had come to dread.

Through the frost creeping across the glass, a girl with snow-white hair, icy blue eyes and pale, winter blue lips and an even whiter pallor than the vampires I loved stared back at me. The crackle of the ice echoed through the silent room as I touched my fingertips to the glass, still after all these years, unsure of what I was seeing.

This was something I could no longer avoid, no matter how much I wanted to. The moon's power tugged at my soul as the tears slipped from my eyes, crystallising on my frozen cheeks. The drops fell to the floor with a sharp tinkle, glittering like diamonds.

This was who I was, and who I would be forever if let it. This frozen, glacial creature connected somehow intrinsically to the moon in ways I didn't understand.

Taking another breath, the power moved over me once more as I felt my body begin to heat up, becoming the Bella that everyone thought me to be.

Climbing into bed, the melting ice leaving wet puddles on my floor, I snuggled deep into my covers and cried myself to sleep, knowing that even the best kept of secrets would eventually come out.

**Chapter two is coming your way, hons! I have exams in 2 weeks to study for, so updating is gonna take some time. I can assure you all it'll be worth the wait! Please review, I love to hear what you think!**

***Hands out Dean plushies and Edward cookies***


	2. Guilty Secrets

**All I can say is wow, thank you all so much for the reviews! The response I've been getting has really motivated me in my writing! You guys have all been so kind to me, and I cannot thank all of you enough!**

**Disclaimer: Nothing is mine**

The sun streamed through the open curtains, warming my skin and making me all too aware that I was currently alone. Had Edward been with me, I would have woken to soft kisses and gentle touches sprinkled across my face, instead of the sound of banging and crashing coming from my kitchen.

I dragged myself out of bed and into the hall, not surprised to see that Charlie's door was wide open. Hearing the familiar squeak of hinges, I turned to see Sam walk out of the spare room, our faces bearing matching expressions of sleep depravity.

We both knew what was happening downstairs.

My cousin and I walked to the stairs, the sounds getting louder and more frequent. We made our way to the kitchen, only to find Dean rummaging around in the cupboards and shelves, all the appliances and equipment lying out on the floor.

"Dean, what are you doing?" I asked, running a hand through my long brown hair. Dean looked over at us and grinned like a child who'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, but knew he would never get in trouble. This was despite the dark blue-black bruises on his face and his slightly swollen nose. I had to try hard not to wince.

"Trying to find where you keep your weapon stash," he explained. I rolled my eyes and began picking up all the pots and pans.

"Dean, Charlie doesn't hunt. And besides, even if he did, do you really think he'd keep weapons in the _kitchen_ of all places?" I took on a tone that I might have used if I was talking to a child. In many ways, talking to Dean _was_ like talking to a child. He was immature, cheeky, and stubborn, with a strange knack for knowing exactly which buttons to push on people.

"Oh right. Forgot," he shrugged, standing in the middle of the metal piles on the linoleum. I raised an eyebrow at him expectantly. With a groan, Dean flopped back down on the floor and began to pick up the pots and pans, shoving them back in the cupboard. Sam chuckled and he and I punched fists.

After Dean finished cleaning, I made us all a breakfast of fried eggs and bacon. The boys dug in heartily, obviously glad to be having a home cooked breakfast for once. I had no idea how many of them they'd ever had, having Uncle John for a father.

"That was great, Bells," Sam complimented, taking the last swig of orange juice from his glass as I stood to clear the table. Before I could stand, he had his hand on my shoulder, pushing me down, "We'll get it."

"But Sam-"

"Don't even think about it. It's the least we could do, right Dean?" he said. Dean gazed up at his brother with a bewildered look, his mouth filled with the last of the bacon. Sam gave him a meaningful look, flicking his eyes back and forth from Dean to the plates. Almost instantly, something clicked in Dean's brain and he groaned, realising that Sam was making him clear the table for probably the first time in years.

"It's alright, Dean," I giggled, "Just don't drop them like the last time," I dodged a playful swat from my cousin, laughing and smiling. Despite being a hunter, with all his martial arts and weapons skills Dean was klutz like me, with a nasty habit of dropping wet dishes when he wasn't concentrating.

"Aunt Aubrey still hasn't forgiven me for busting her plates, huh?" He asked, dunking his plates into the warm, soapy water in the sink as Sam began stacking cleaned dishes onto the rack.

"You're not even close to forgiveness. You're like, from here to Mexico and back away from forgiveness," I explained, smiling wryly at the memory.

Aunty Aubrey was in her 80s, and was technically not our aunt since she married into the family and her husband Uncle Chester had died about thirty years ago. She still insisted on being called 'aunt', though, and had a vast collection of rare, mint china plates of all descriptions stacked on shelves and in spotless glass cases all over her pristine, never-a-speck-of-dust-to-be-seen house.

"What happened?" Sam asked from his place by the sink. I smiled widely, ignoring the warning glances from Dean

"The summer I was twelve, Dean and I went to visit her for a few days. That was the year you went away to apply for colleges, remember? Anyway, Aunt Aubrey was polishing some of the plates and, while tossing a baseball in the air for whatever reason, Dean dropped the ball and it bounced into the open glass case, smashing the plates all to hell!"

"I was just a kid," Dean said, and I rolled my eyes.

"You were twenty-two!" I retorted. After a small pause we all burst into loud laughter. My stomach ached and I was so lost in the moment I ended up leaning too far to one side and toppling off the chair. I yelped, a burst of frosted air shooting from my mouth as I fell, the saliva creating tiny crystals of ice that fell to the table with a sharp plink.

Silence reigned as I lay panting on the floor, my eyes locked on the wooden floor as my cheeks burned reassuringly hot. The ends of my hair were still brown, my skin still vaguely pink with life.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up to see Sam leaning over me, his face filled with concern. Dean hovered over his shoulder, obviously unsure of how to approach me.

"It's getting worse," Sam said simply. I nodded. I had never been able to use my...'abilities' during the day before.

The sharp ring of the phone cut through the kitchen. I stood, Sam's hand leaving my shoulder as I walked over and picked up the receiver. He went back and drained the sink, the dishes finished and drying on the rack.

"Hello?"

"Bella," My heart stuttered, surging with happiness as it began to beat double time.

"Edward," I breathed, my brow creasing in agitation. He never called while he was out hunting unless something was wrong, "what's going on? Is everything alright?"

"We found someone, in the woods while we were hunting. A young girl, Alice and Carlisle are with her now in his office," My eyes widened in shock, my mouth falling open.

A hand rested again on my shoulder. This time it was Dean, mouthing the words '_what's going on?'_ I shook my head, holding up my hand to tell him to wait. "Is she okay? Do you know what happened?"

"Esme found her. She'd been...bitten," I gulped, anticipating the answer to my next question. I had to frame it carefully, so as not to tip off my cousins. There was no need for them to slip into hunter mode and go slaughter the Cullens.

"What exactly do you mean by that, Edward?" I sensed his hesitation, his reluctance to tell me what was really going on.

"Bella, she was bitten by a vampire. Carlisle thinks she's already more than two days into her change." I could barely comprehend what he was saying. I knew at once that I had to go to the house, no matter what.

"Don't worry, I'll be right over," I said.

"No, Bella, you don't have to-"

"Edward, please don't argue with me on this one. I'll be at the house in twenty minutes," Edward sighed, resigned.

"Okay, then. I'll see you soon, love." With that, the line went dead. I hung the phone up, turning to run to the stairs but I was stopped when Dean stepped into my path.

"Who was that, Bella?" He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at me speculatively. I instantly felt like I was being accused of something.

"That was," I hesitated half a second, considering whether or not 'fiancé' was what they needed to hear, "my boyfriend, Edward, if it's any of your business. Something happened while they were out camping this weekend, and I'm going over to get a better read on the situation." Dean smirked, amused.

"A boyfriend, eh? Well, well, Bella, I must say I'm impressed. Never picked you for the type to give up the goods so easily." I glared, slightly offended.

"For your information, we haven't done anything like that yet. Edward is a gentleman if there ever was one, unlike some people," Dean smiled at my accusation, still frustratingly amused, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go dress."

I brushed past him, exchanging a subtle, understanding glance with Sam. He knew without saying anything that there was something more going on, but he, unlike his brother had the sense to let it go.

I decided to skip the shower, changed out of my pyjamas into jeans and a long sleeved grey shirt. I tugged on a pair of socks and my shoes, tied my long hair into a ponytail, and hurried back downstairs.

When I reached the top of the stairs, I was surprised to see both Dean and Sam fully dressed and mumbling about something. I'd always had good hearing and a knack for appearing out of nowhere when I wanted to, so I crouched by the banister and strained my ears.

"...seriously have to go to her boyfriend's house?" Dean complained, followed by the familiar hissing sound of a bottle being opened. Only Dean Winchester would have a beer at nine in the morning.

"Yes, we do Dean. Bella's our cousin; we have to be there for her." Sam replied. There was a pause and a dull, metallic thud as Dean placed the beer bottle on the table, followed by the scraping of the chair on the hardwood floors.

"Something doesn't feel right, man," He murmured. My heart sunk to my shoes and I felt a great well of guilt. I couldn't tell them about the Cullens, especially now with the girl from the woods.

"I know what you mean," I heard Sam sigh in frustration, "It's like she's not telling us something."

I was in one hell of a pickle. If I told Sam and Dean about Edward and the Cullens, they wouldn't hesitate to kill them. That's how they'd been raised, to hate all supernatural creatures. It was how they'd raised _me_. However, if I didn't tell them and they found out, not only would I lose the Cullens...I would lose my cousins as well.

I decided to make myself known. Standing, I trundled down the stairs, making as much noise as I could. On the last few steps, I lost my footing and tumbled forward. Luckily, my long latent reflexes kicked in and I was able to catch myself before I got seriously hurt.

"You guys going somewhere?" I asked them, grabbing my car keys off the kitchen counter.

"We're coming with you, Bella." Sam announced, standing from the table. I snorted and rolled my eyes.

"Why?" I asked, deciding to play dumb. Letting on that I'd eavesdropped on their conversation would lead to too many uncomfortable, unanswerable questions.

"Because," Dean interjected, "We're family. We have to make sure this boyfriend is the kind of boy we want dating our Bella." I squeezed my eyes shut and pinched the bridge of my nose between my forefinger and thumb, a habit I had picked up from Edward.

"I've already done this with Charlie. Edward is perfectly honourable. He respects me; he loves me for who I am!" My tone was confrontational, begging them to bite back so I could rip them both new ones. The boys exchanged an unreadable glance.

"We'll believe that when we see it," Dean said. I scowled at him, but he only grinned cheekily at me.

"Well, if you're coming, then we have to go now. We'll take my truck," I started towards the door before the keys were snatched expertly from my hand. I turned to see Sam dangling them above my head, out of my reach.

Damn him for being so tall .

"Sam, give me back my keys!" He held them high above me, too far to reach even if I jumped. Which I did.

"That truck is a death trap, Bella. We're taking Dean's car." Sam explained. Dean smiled proudly around the mouth of the beer bottle as he raised it to his lips and drained the remainder of it.

"Besides," He began, standing from the table only to walk over and place his hand on top of my head, "We want to make a good impression. Can't have your boyfriend thinkin' we let you drive that hunk of junk when there's a perfectly good car sitting in the front yard."

"You just want to show off your 'precious baby'," I accused, air quoting with my fingers. Dean smirked and tipped his head to the side, acknowledging my correctness.

"Fine," I huffed, pointing my finger between Dean and Sam, "But I get to ride shotgun! Don't think that you guys can shove me into the backseat because I'm the girl!" They both laughed, each placing a hand on my shoulder and steering me towards the door.

As we left the house, I once again felt my heart sink from my chest to my shoes, followed closely by my stomach. I hadn't counted on my cousins wanting to accompany me to the Cullen house. I hoped upon hope that Alice saw them coming and was able to contrive something to keep their human cover. For all our sakes.

**That's it for chapter 2, chapter 3 will be up as soon as possible (bearing in mind I have three other fanfics and an original story to pump out chappies for), so I'll give my muse a big kick up the bum and hopefully it'll be up before you know it!  
Don't forget to review, all comments and constructive criticisms are welcome, I love you all even if you don't!**


	3. No More Rose Tinted Glasses

**Well here we are, the start of chapter 3! The reason this, and all my other new chapters are taking so long is that I just finished the first semester of year 12 and I'm preparing for a year long exchange to America, for which I leave at the end of next week. This message is going to be posted at the start of all the next chapters as they come out so if you follow any of my other stories, you don't have to bother reading the A/N at the top :)**

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Sam, Dean, and I crossed the front lawn over to the shiny black Impala parked on the curb. I couldn't help but marvel at how Dean kept that car in such good shape, especially in our - their - line of work.

I knew taking them to the Cullen mansion when there was a changing vampire present was an extremely bad idea, but I was seriously sick of secrets. I figured they were going to find out soon enough so why not do what Renee did when she was teaching me to swim and throw them right into the deep end.

Yeah, you heard right. In my panic, even though it was the middle of summer and the water was like 95 degrees, I almost froze our swimming pool completely solid in three seconds flat.

I took solace in the knowledge that their entire house was most likely soundproofed, and that Alice's psychic presence would be enough for them to move the girl into the basement or something.

_Oh god, please, please let Alice see us coming._

"I see the old girl's still in tip top shape," I said, running my hand through the water droplets that had collected on the hood. The sky was dense and grey, but there wasn't any rain now, only the remains of the night's thunderstorm.

"You better believe it. Ain't been nothin' but the best for my baby," Dean replied affectionately, eliciting a laugh from Sam and myself. I swear, sometimes it seemed like my cousin was married to the thing.

We all slid inside, with Dean and I in the front and Sam in the back. He wasn't very happy about that, being the tallest of us all. In fact, I was sure Sam was about the same height as Jasper, which would make him almost twice as long as the cramped back seat.

As we drove, me giving directions at every turn, grateful that my cousin drove below the speed limit on the wet roads, I began to fiddle with the radio, trying to find my favourite local station. Dean slapped my hand away, glowering playfully.

"You know the house rules, Bella," he lectured, wagging his finger at me, "driver picks the music-"

"Shotgun shuts his cakehole," Sam and I finished in deadpan unison.

"I remember the rule," I leant down, picked up a box of cassette tapes from the floor by my feet, and began rifling through it, "Has anyone ever told you that you seriously need to update your cassette collection?" Dean, instead of replying like a normal person, picked one of the tapes from the box without looking and slotted it into the cassette player. The opening chords of a Led Zeppelin track surged out of the speakers.

"Sorry, can't hear you over the music!" Sam and I exchanged looks as Dean began to sing along to _Out on the Tiles_, both of us knowing that this was his way of telling me to shove it.

We drove for a little while more, until I spotted the familiar turn in to the Cullen's driveway. I pointed Dean in the right direction, the tall green walls closing in around as we snaked along the winding path through the trees.

"Your boyfriend lives in a maze?" Sam asked incredulously, squinting at the wall of green passing by the tinted windows. I laughed, but my smile was shaky and fragile. My heart pounded in my chest and I felt the skin of my hands and face start to prickle uncomfortably.

I had to calm down. If my emotions got out of control it could result in an episode, and then I'd be responsible for hurting, maybe even killing my cousins, who were practically the only family I had left.

Soon the daylight began to turn a lighter shade of the usual deep green, indicating the entrance to the field where the house sat. I took a deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart and stop the shots of frigid electricity that shot through my veins.

Dean parked the car on the front lawn and switched off the engine. If Alice couldn't see us, then they'd most definitely heard us coming.

Before I'd even had time to finish the thought, the front door opened, and a wide, automatic smile spread across my face.

Edward!

Ignoring the amused chuckles of Sam and Dean, I scrambled to get out of the car, struggling with my seatbelt as they climbed out. Yanking it off me, I pulled roughly on the door handle. It didn't budge an inch. I shot a bewildered look at Dean through the window.

"Really, Dean? Child locks?" He laughed loudly as Sam opened the door for me.

"Yeah, yeah, you're hilarious Winchester," I retorted, pocking my finger into Dean's bruised nose, "Just remember which one of us got their ass handed to them last night!"

I knew that Edward could hear me, but I shoved my worry to the back of my mind as I turned towards the porch, my heart soaring at the amused and slightly puzzled grin on his perfect face.

In a momentary lapse of self-control, I ran straight at him, flinging myself into his arms as he met me at the bottom of the stairs. The dull throbbing in my chest instantly vanished, the fault line sealing shut.

"Hey," I said quietly as our foreheads touched, revelling in the feeling of Edward's arms wrapping around my waist, of our bodies melding together in the most perfect of ways. It was almost enough to make me forget everything I had kept from him.

_Almost._

"Hey," he replied, kissing me gently. I'll admit I started to get a little carried away, locking my hands into his hair and trying to deepen it as much as he'd let me. We pulled apart at the not so discreet coughing and throat clearing coming from behind me.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm getting to you!" I called over my shoulder, my arms locked around Edward's neck so I had to stretch around with my torso, "Hold your friggin' horses!" Edward laughed, moving my hands from behind his head to his shoulders, massaging them gently. I could hear the tiny, almost undetectable edge of uncertainty in his laugh. It made my stomach curl in agitation.

"Bella, aren't you going to introduce us to your friends?" A familiar, tinkling soprano voice came from the porch. I gazed around Edward to see Alice and the rest of the family standing as casually as a coven of vampires can get.

"Of course," I stepped back from Edward as the Cullens came down the stairs to stand around us, my arm still around his waist and his around my shoulder, facing my cousins, "Everyone, I'd like you to meet my cousins, Sam and Dean Winchester."

Carlisle stepped forward in all his blonde, vampiric glory to shake their hands. If they noticed the cold, I would hope that the weather would put them off any hunting trail.

"I'm Dr Carlisle Cullen. This is my wife, Esme," Carlisle wrapped an arm around Esme's shoulders, smiling.

"Any family of Bella's is family of ours," she said graciously, and I had to hold back a grimace.

_If only she knew what my family was really like..._

"Our sons, Jasper, Emmett and Edward," Jasper nodded once, which was reciprocated by Sam and Dean, Emmett gave them each a big smile and a near bone-crushing hand shake that they gallantly took without wincing. I wasn't ignorant of the look he threw me, telling me that he'd been feeling everything I had and intended to know what it all meant.

"And our daughters, Rosalie and Alice." Rosalie smiled tightly, giving no indication that she either hated or liked my cousins. Alice on the other hand, bounded forward enthusiastically and gave both a giant hug.

"It's so nice to meet you both!" She chirped, beaming brightly.

Suddenly there was a crash inside the house, followed by the sound of low cursing and smashing glass.

"What was that?" Sam asked, his forehead creasing with suspicion. Alice rushed at human speed to the front door, disappearing inside. There was a pause that seemed to last forever, which was punctured only by faint words that untrained human ears could not decipher.

"It seems our guest has woken early," Esme mused, her gold eyes worried. Edward tightened his arm around my shoulder, and I felt my blood begin to cool in my anxiety. He must have felt it, too, because he rubbed his equally cold hand up my arm, trying in vain to warm it with the friction.

Alice returned, alone. She clasped her hands in front of her body, timidly to those who knew her, just as Dean's cell phone rang. He excused himself, muttering down the other end.

"What's wrong, Alice?" Jasper asked, climbing the porch steps to place an arm gently around her tiny waist. She simply shook her head, obviously afraid to say anything with my cousins present.

"Nothing, just some shelves came loose, that's all," Her words sounded true to the core, but I had known the Cullens long enough to be able to tell when one of them was lying through their teeth.

Dean snapped his phone shut and came back to the group. His face had hardened, guarded.

"That was Bobby. He says we need to meet back at the hotel. He has some stuff he needs to talk to us about," Sam nodded and they both avoided my gaze. I grew suspicious. Bobby would only call if it were important. What were they hiding from me?

"It was nice meeting you all," Sam said to the Cullens, "Sorry we have to rush off like this."

"Its fine, boys," Esme replied, "It was good to meet you too. Bella hardly ever speaks of her family; it's nice to know she has some." With a motherly hug and a smile, she led the rest of the family back into the house. Edward kissed my hair gently and murmured that he'd meet me in the house. Dean was instantly beside when we three were alone, his brow furrowed in concern.

"Bella, you need to calm down," he said quietly, "You're lips are..." My fingers automatically reached up to my mouth as my cousin trailed off. I reached into my back pocket to pull out the tiny travel mirror compact I secretly carried on me at all times. Indeed, my lips were turning pale blue and thin, spidery veins were beginning to show through my translucent white skin. I exhaled and the glass prickled over with ice crystals.

"Crap," I murmured, snapping the compact shut and turning away from the house. I couldn't let them see me like this. Sam sighed and came over, wrapping his arms around me in a comforting hug. I felt his body heat seeping into my frigid skin and instantly relaxed.

"Thank you," I murmured, glad to see that when I pulled away my breath was invisible. I turned to Dean, smirking, "But don't think I don't want to know what Bobby called for."

"It was nothing, Bells," he replied, ruffling my hair, "Just checking in."

"Right, since when does Bobby ever call just to check in?" I countered, putting my hands on my hips indignantly and raising an eyebrow. Dean blanched and Sam laughed.

"She's got ya there, bro," Sam groaned as Dean's hand made contact with the back of his head.

"I just hate being the last to know things," I said as I folded my arms in front of my chest.

"We promise," Sam began, placing his hands on my shoulders, "that if anything happens, we'll tell you." I nodded, sighing in resignation. I wasn't sure that was entirely true, but I trusted my cousins with my life, with my deepest secret. Why wouldn't they tell me the truth?

After saying goodbye and watching the Impala disappear down the forest drive, I turned to the mansion and climbed the small flight of steps up to the porch, my thumbs hooked into the back pockets of my jeans. The inside of the house was silent as I approached, but that was not uncommon. I flexed my hand as I reached for the doorknob, frowning at the light dusting of frost that coated it at my approach. Luckily, the front window curtains were closed so the almost invisible ice sheen in the bottom corners of the glass went unseen to all but me.

I entered the foyer, and through the open space of the bottom floor, I could make out the Cullens gathered around one of the couches in the living room. Edward looked up from the group and smiled at me, beckoning me over with the slightest nod of his head.

"Bella," he said softly in my ear, his arm an icy, solid weight around the back of my shoulders, "there's someone who would like to meet you."

The rest of the family parted to reveal a young woman, maybe around the age of fifteen or sixteen. She had long, ringlet curls of honey blonde hair, the typically bone white skin of a vampire and a face, imbedded with the bright, newborn red eyes, whose beauty could rival, maybe even surpass Rosalie. Her limbs were long, from which I could guess that she was almost as tall as Carlisle's six feet.

"This is Willow," Alice introduced before taking a seat next to the girl and placing a gentle hand on her slim shoulder,

"Willow," she said softly, presumably as not to frighten her, "This is Bella. The one we told you about." Willow looked up at me, and smiled timidly. She had amazing control for a newborn, even as well fed as she obviously was by the colour of her eyes.

"H-hello, B-Bella," she said, her voice a high, sweet whisper. It was calming, soothing, with a slight nervous stutter.

"Willow seems to have the power to detect things about people from the sound of their voice," Edward said to me, "She knew we were vampires as soon as Alice said hello." I gasped in amazement.

"It's nice to meet you, Willow," I said to her, trying to smile at her reassuringly. Something flashed in her ruby eyes, her pretty face crumpling with confusion.

"What's wrong?" Alice asked, wrapping an arm around the young girl's shoulders. Willow looked panicked, clasping her hands around Alice's like a vice that would have surely crushed that of a human.

"Wh-wh-wh-," Willow began, pausing to swallow, "what i-is she?"

"What do you mean?" Alice frowned. My feelings of anxiousness became amplified by Jasper's power, my heart beating like a jackhammer in my chest as I fought to control my power, "She's human. Like those men who were outside." Willow shook her head and I felt my chest prickle numbly, the sensation slowly spreading through my veins and around my body.

"No, she's not," Willow replied, her eyes locking on mine, reading my every secret from those six simple words I'd said to her, "She's...something else." All eyes were suddenly on me and I was going to have an episode in the middle of the Cullen's living room.

"I...I...I...I have to go," I wrenched myself free of Edward's grip, although I knew if he really wanted to stop me, he could. My eyes stayed trained on the carpet, my ears perked for the slightest crackle of ice under or around me. The room temperature had already dropped about five degrees and was still lowering rapidly.

Suddenly, Emmett was standing in front of me, his arms folded, face stony as he blocked my only exit. My chest constricted tightly and I began to hyperventilate.

"Please...m-move...Emmett, please..." I begged as tried to catch my breath. I could see the air began to fog with each breath I struggled to take. No longer concerned with stopping me, Emmett simply looked, aghast at my slowly changing appearance.

"Bella? What's going on?" Edward asked me. He tried to put his hand on my arm but I pushed him away with shaking hands as the temperature around my body fluxed between warm and below freezing.

"S-s-stay away..." I panted, backing away until my back touched a wall. I slid down, curling into a ball in the corner of the vast room.

"What's happening to you?" Someone asked. I'm not sure whom; as all sound had become garbled in my ears save for the frantic pounding of my own heart. The rest of the family, including Willow stood around me now, watching as I slowly slipped into the icy grip of my true nature.

I could see the ends of my hair turning white, the spidery veins appearing on my ice white skin. I could feel every cell in my body slowing down and becoming frozen, the cold spreading quickly through the air and crackling across every available surface. I vaguely registered Edward trying to come closer, but Alice held him back. So many different voices echoed around me they all blurred into a barely distinguishable blob.

"_What is she?"_

"_The ice has blocked the door!"_

"_What do we do?"_

"_Everyone stay calm!"_

"_You can't help her, dude!"_

"_Stay back!"_

The pain of trying to contain the energy soon began to be too much. I barely noticed in my state the sound of banging, crashing, and two strong arms picking me up off the ground.

Before I knew it, I could feel grass underneath me, and a familiar male voice in my ear.

"It's okay, Bells," it said to me calmly, "You can let it out. Don't fight it, just channel into the ground like Renee taught you."

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew those words to be the truth. I climbed slowly into a kneeling position, my hands flat on the ground. I breathed as deeply as I could; with all my might, I pushed the energy from my body into the earth. A blinding white light erupted from my hands, surrounding my body and shooting into the sky.

I screamed with the pain and the effort. My heart felt like a twister was trying to suck it out of my chest while someone hacked up the rest of my body.

Soon, though, it began to recede, my vision darkened and my body weakened with exhaustion. Sometimes people say they thought things just before they blacked out, but I didn't. One minute I was there, the next I was sinking into oblivion.

**Holy sexy Winchester's and hidden secrets, Batman! Don't you just love cliffys? ;)**


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